1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to computer-aided engineering design and more specifically to techniques for creating an analytical interface model for exchanging a design of a structure with an analysis application.
2. Background Information
To better manage the complexities of modern designs, design professionals often turn to computer-aided design. In computer-aided design, a design professional creates a model in a modeling application that embodies a project. The model is typically refined and analyzed, in part, using analytical tools, which may be offered in an analysis application, e.g., an external (i.e. separate) analysis application. A model may be used to generate documentation (such as elevations, perspectives, and plans) and reports (such as quantity reports, cost reports, schedules, and specifications), useful in defining and executing the project.
One particular use of computer-aided design is in the architectural design of structures, i.e., buildings and other constructed assets. An architectural design professional tasked with the design of a building or other constructed asset typically produces an architectural model using an architectural modeling application. For example, the architectural design professional may turn to an application such as the Bentley® Architecture building information modeling (BIM) application, available from Bentley Systems Inc., the Bentley® speedikon architectural BIM application, also available from Bentley Systems Inc., the Revit® Architecture BIM application, available from Autodesk Inc., the ArchiCAD® application available from Graphisoft R&D Zrt., or another similar software package. An architectural modeling application typically provides the design professional with an extended toolset for creating an architectural model from elements. Using a computer aided design (CAD)-like interface, the design professional may place, arrange, and configure elements to define the architectural model. Such an architectural model typically has complex and detailed geometry, to provide a complete and life-like representation of a structure.
Sometimes it is desirable to perform different types of analysis on a structure embodied in an architectural model. For example, it may be desirable to perform an energy analysis using dynamic simulation. Such an energy analysis may include various types of analysis, such as heat loss analysis, radiator sizing, heat gain analysis, shadow analysis, heating and air conditioning energy analysis, overheating analysis, mixed mode ventilation analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies, and the like. A professional, for example, a mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) professional, may turn to an energy analysis application external from the architectural modeling application, to perform such analysis. For instance, a professional may turn to the Bentley® HevaComp Design Simulation application available from Bentley Systems Inc., the Bentley® Tas Building Energy Modeling and Simulation application available from Bentley Systems Inc., the Tsinghua University Designer Simulation Toolkit (DeST) available from Tsinghua University, or another similar software package.
Further, it sometimes is desirable to manage documents, space and assets associated with a building embodied in an architectural model. In such case, a professional, for example, a logistics professional, may turn to a facilities management application external from the architectural modeling application. For example, a professional may turn to the Bentley® Facilities Planner application available from Bentley Systems Inc., or another similar software package that provides this type of functionality.
Typically, when an external analysis application, such as an energy analysis application, facilities management application, or the like, is utilized, it relies upon a description of a structure exported from an architectural modeling application, or other application. Accordingly, an export routine is generally implemented in such applications to generate such description. The description may take any of a variety of forms. For example, the description may be a Green Building Extensible Markup Language (GBXML) file. GBXML was developed as an industry standard for the transfer of building information among applications, and its specification is publicly available from the Building Performance & Analysis Working Group. Upon receiving the description, for example, the GBXML file, the analysis application may proceed to generate its own analytical model that includes abstracted (e.g., simplified) geometry, excludes certain non-essential elements, and that represents certain structures in a manner suited for the analysis to be performed by the external analysis application. The analysis application may then proceed to use its analytical model to perform analysis.
Generally, the export routine that generates the description, e.g., the GBXML file, is a “black box” function, such that a user may not view the details of the conversion of the architectural model into the description, nor view a visual representation of the description while still within the architectural modeling application. This may present a problem when attempting to investigate any discrepancies, for example, geometric discrepancies, that may be introduced into the analytical model in the external analysis application. A user is forced to attempt to compare the original architectural model in the architectural modeling application, with its complex and detailed geometry and included non-essential elements, with the analytical model in the external analysis application, with its abstracted geometry and without non-essential elements. This may make the identification of discrepancies a laborious and frustrating task.
Further, many external analysis applications require extended processing time, for example, several hours or more of processing time, to perform calculations necessary for different types of analysis. The presence of unaddressed discrepancies, or other errors, in the analytical model, may cause errors in the calculations, which may require analysis to be rerun. As is apparent, this may significantly delay workflow.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for exchanging a description of a structure between an architectural modeling application and an analysis application.